World News - Iraqi Kurd Gets 7 Years From Germany for Aiding Militants

A German court convicted an Iraqi Kurd of aiding Al Qaeda-linked militants who carried out suicide bombings in his home country and sentenced him Thursday to seven years in prison. Amin Lokman Mohamed, 33, was convicted of belonging to a foreign terrorist organization and human trafficking for helping Ansar al-Islam, a group linked to Al Qaeda.The case is one of several in Germany and elsewhere exploring how Islamic radicals attract volunteers and financial support from a network of sympathizers across Europe.... http://www.foxnews.com

A tractor-trailer rig slammed into a pickup truck on a rural highway early Thursday, killing six people, all believed to be in their late teens, authorities said.Chief Deputy Jimmy Green said two other young adults in the extended-cab pickup were injured, though the severity of their injuries wasn't immediately clear. All eight were inside the pickup's cab, he said.The pickup had pulled onto Highway 26 from another highway when it was hit at about 3:30 a.m., Green said. He said the rig, used to haul gravel, was empty at the time....http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/12/miss.crash.ap/index.html?section=cnn_us

An Arizona woman has lost her appeal of a ticket she was given for driving alone in a highway HOV lane. Candace Wilkinson, of Phoenix, claimed her fetus should count as the second "person" in the car with her in the lane reserved for carpoolers. But, reports Mike Levitt of CBS affiliate KPHO in Phoenix, a judge wasn't buying it. During a hearing, Wilkinson, who represented herself, pointed out that the local criminal code defines person as an unborn child. But the judge ruled when she drove in the lane in November, she was clearly in violation of the law requiring at least two people in any vehicle in such a lane. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/12/earlyshow/main1203514.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&source=RSS&attr=U.S._1203514

Prosecutors want the courts to allow 9-year-old Shasta Groene, the only survivor of a family kidnap-murder, to testify against her alleged abductor outside his immediate presence. The girl's 13-year-old brother, her mother and her mother's boyfriend were bludgeoned to death in their Idaho home last spring, and Shasta and her 9-year-old brother were kidnapped.Court documents released Wednesday also indicate that Shasta didn't witness the killings in her mother's home but that she told investigators she heard of their deaths from the suspect, Joseph E. Duncan III.Duncan, a convicted sex offender, was arrested after a waitress spotted Shasta with him at a Coeur d'Alene restaurant....http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-12-duncan-slayings_x.htm?csp=34

Jose Padilla, a U.S. citizen who was held for more than three years as an "enemy combatant," pleaded not guilty Thursday to criminal charges alleging he was part of a secret network that supported violent Muslim extremists around the world. Padilla entered the plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Garber one week after being transferred from military to civilian custody. The judge also began hearing arguments to determine whether Padilla should be released on bail, which is opposed by federal prosecutors. Padilla, 35, was indicted in November on charges of conspiring to murder U.S. nationals and providing material support to terrorists as part of a North American cell that provided money, material and fighters for violent Islamic jihad. If convicted, he faces a potential life sentence. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/12/terror/main1203813.shtml?CMP=OTC-RSSFeed&source=RSS&attr=U.S._1203813

Thousands of Muslim pilgrims rushing to complete a symbolic stoning ritual during the hajj tripped over luggage Thursday, causing a crush in which at least 345 people were killed, the Interior Ministry said. The stampede occurred as tens of thousands of pilgrims headed toward al-Jamarat, a series of three pillars representing the devil that the faithful pelt with stones to purge themselves of sin. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki said 345 people were killed. More than 1,000 people were injured, said Dr. Abbasi with the Saudi Red Crescent. Footage from the scene showed lines of bodies laid out on stretchers on the pavement and covered with sheets. Ahmed Mustafa, an Egyptian pilgrim, said he saw bodies taken away in refrigerator trucks. "There must be dozens of people dead," he said. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-01-12-hajj_x.htm?csp=34